Wine from Narsai David‘s personal cellar, dishes prepared by some of the East Bay’s top chefs, a delicious four-course dinner and an auction with prizes such as a romantic getaway to Paris — all for a wonderful cause: it must be Five Star Night, the annual principal fundraiser for Alameda County Meals on Wheels.
This year — the event’s 26th — the dinner will be held on Friday April 26 at the Scottish Rite Center in Oakland near Lake Merritt.
The line-up of chefs is enough to whet your appetite: Louis LeGassic of Bay Wolf; Rick Hackett of Bocanova (read why Hackett thinks chowder will be the next big thing); Rico Rivera of Flora; Alan Carlson of Italian Colors; Haig Krikorian of Lalime’s; Chris Cheung of Marica Seafood; Neucimar Dias da Silva of Market Hall Bakery; Barry Shinto of Ozumo; Sophina Uong of Picán (read why their cocktails are worth a detour); Luis Rodriguez of Picante; Scott Shaffer of Saags Specialty Meats; Robert and Mica of Savoy Events; and Tom Frainier and Michael and Barbara Rose of Semifreddi’s.
David has been hosting the Five Star Night since the beginning, and all the chefs and staff involved donate their time. And this year in particular, the non-profit needs our support more than ever, according to Cindy Houts, Executive Director of Alameda County Meals on Wheels, which delivers more than 2,100 warm meals each week-day to homebound seniors.
“With the potential for sequester cuts, funding for 50,000 meals might be cut,” she said. “We need to be ready to fill that gap.”
As anyone who has volunteered for Meals on Wheels knows, the program is about much more than a simple meal. Every time a delivery driver visits the home of a homebound senior they bring a friendly smile and are also performing a daily wellness check.
Houts said she recently worked a route and twice had to call 911 because the senior needed emergency medical help.
“The program is cost-effective too, so it’s good for tax-payers,” Houts said. “One year of meals is the same cost as one day in hospital.”
Berkeleyside Nosh is a proud sponsor of Five Star Night. For full information, including how to buy tickets, visit their website.
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